The relay is part of the circuit that shuts off the engine if you try to mow in reverse without taking the proper (JD definition) actions to keep the blades spinning. To test if it's working, engage the deck and try to mow in reverse. Unless you press the button on the dash first, the engine will quit. If it doesn't, the circuit has been "defeated".

Question:
Why is RIO (Reverse Implement Option) Necessary?
Affected Equipment:
Riding Mowers
Answer:
Throughout our history, John Deere has been concerned about the safe operation of its equipment. John Deere lawn care products have been leaders in safety innovation. It is one of the reasons they continue to have the highest resale value in the industry. Anyone who can imagine the tragedy of an accident can readily appreciate effective designs that improve the safety of the products they use. The following is a chronology of some major John Deere safety features:

RIO is a well-thought-out design feature. After years of study and with the use of innovative technology and components, the engineers at John Deere developed a RIO system that is both easy to use and effective. It is less restrictive than the design on many competitive brands that will not allow the operation of the mower or other attachment to be maintained while moving backward under any circumstances. It is also more effective than systems that provide no safety reminder or those that can be turned off by the operator. The John Deere system provides a safety reminder each time the vehicle is moved backward, but will allow the operator to maintain power to the mower or other implement when it is necessary to do so.

You should always look behind you before moving in reverse to make sure that all people, especially children, as well as pets, are out of harm's way. Sometimes it is possible to get caught up in maneuvering and forget about looking behind you before driving in reverse. RIO provides a reminder by requiring you to engage a switch each time you want to keep a mower or implement operating when moving backward. Its intent is not to slow you down, but to help you operate as safely as possible. We regret any inconvenience, but safety is so important, we believe it is necessary to include this feature.

RIO is an exclusive John Deere feature to remind the operator of safety before moving in reverse. Mowing in reverse is not recommended; however, we want to make sure you are aware that RIO allows you to keep the mower or other implement operating while backing up, if necessary. And you only need to activate the RIO switch for an instant before putting your hand back on the steering wheel. We hope you are already aware of this, but we have found that some customers who have expressed concern about the RIO system were not. If you do not know how to operate RIO, please consult your Operator's Manual.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the MyTractorForum.com - The Friendliest Tractor Forum and Best Place for Tractor Information forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.